Twilight ReWrite
by Dark Angel 13388
Summary: Twilight re-written. No sparkles found here.
1. Chapter 1

Being so utterly disappointed with the Twilight series and it's execution on the whole, I've decided to attempt to re-write said story. Unfortunately, this chapter is mildly boring, being mostly introductions and all that. I tried to add a little more insight into Bella's lines of thinking, so you'll have to let me know how terribly I've failed at that. I don't claim to be a decent writer, but I do think I can write at least marginally better than Stephanie Meyer who is, in the simplest of terms, horrible.

There will be no sparkles.

Characters will have personalities and motives behind their actions

Bella will not be a selfish, annoying, brainless twat. Instead she will have ideas and a spine. Novel idea!

Edward is going to be a douche bag. And not a gentlemen. Because that's far more interesting.

Bella will have friends other than Edward and his family.

Bella will treat her parents like people.

Bella will treat her friends like people.

I'm sure I can add more, but just a general warning to all those who may potentially read this. It is not going to be a carbon copy of Twilight. More like what I had expected Twilight to be and what I kept hoping it would become (but didn't).

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Twilight Re-Write

Chapter 1

"Seats 22-40 now boarding."

Bella Swann stared sadly at her mother, Renee, from her uncomfortable plastic seat at the airport terminal, clutching her arm rests and taking a deep breath before she stood. Her mother swept her up into a hug, which Bella returned realizing this was likely the last time she'd hug her mother. Renee reached out gently fixed a stray piece of unruly brown hair on her daughter's head, smoothed it down and took one last look at her. She wasn't quite sure when her daughter had become so grown up. It seemed as if just yesterday her little girl was learning to ride her bike, or put on makeup and now she was all the sudden this young woman, moving across the country without her.

Bella smiled and threw one strap of her backpack over her shoulder, "Well, I suppose I'll talk to you tonight once I get to Dad's."

"You had better," Renee responded, trying her best to smile through the tears welling in her hazel eyes, "As soon as you get in, understand?"

Bella nodded and gave her mother one more quick hug, "I'm gonna miss you, Mom."

"I'll miss you too, sweet heart," she finished, her voice cracking.

With that, Bella turned to go, making her way to her plane and taking a seat where designated. She had gone to stay with her father before, mostly for summers and breaks from school but this trip was entirely different. This time, the move was permanent. She had spent the past several years in Phoenix, Arizona with her mother. And while she adored her mother, the reality of the situation was that Bella didn't feel she quite fit in with Renee's new life. Recently, her mother had remarried for the 4th time, after a long, long string of abusive jerks and cheating men. All of which Bella had lived through, but finally, she was certain her mother had finally found a nice enough guy after all. Renee's new husband, Phil, was a professional baseball player, had three kids of his own, a house and two dogs. In one word: Perfect.

However, with Phil's constant moving due to his job and Renee's want to move with him, Bella found herself in a bit of predicament. She had one year of high school left and as much as she would have loved to spend it with her friends in Arizona, the fact of the matter was that that was entirely impossible now. On top of all this, she found herself awkwardly placed into a new family--a newlywed couple, and three step-siblings she barely knew (who generally stayed with their mother in Phoenix while their father travelled). The only option, in her eyes, was to move back in with her Dad, Charlie.

When she was too young to remember, her mother had packed her things, up and left her father and taken Bella with her. Since then, her mom had been a single parent, only sending Bella off to see her dad in Washington when school and life permitted it. Bella never quite understood her mother's deep seeded hatred of her hometown, where her parents had met. Bella looked forward to her visits to Forks, Washington excitedly every year. It had this strange sort of beauty to it. The overcast sky often shed grey hues over the deep green forests, with perpetually falling rain keeping a constant fog about the landscape. Bella often just walked for hours in the forests adjacent to her father's house, taking in the deep earthy smell of everything around her and relishing in the Pacific breeze.

And most of all, she missed Jacob Black between those trips. Charlie and Jacob's father, Billy, had been friends for years and years. As such, Bella often found herself wasting away her afternoons with Jacob while their fathers did whatever it was fathers did. He had this odd sort of welcoming comfort to him, despite being remarkably tall and well-built, the kind of kid you'd assume was the generic school bully type. He was quite the opposite, extraordinarily generous and kind, but also a bit naïve. He was two years younger than her, but his height made up for the age difference and no one seemed to question why they would spend every waking minute together. Jacob was one of those rare circumstances where you meet someone for the first time and come to the strange realization that you have any and everything in common. And so they were instant friends.

Bella had dozed off at some point after the flight began, her head lulling to the side as she flew far away from the deep brown, desert plains and towards the lush green and blues of Forks.

Bella was jolted awake by the sound of the stewardess's high pitched voice announcing their descent towards Victoria, British Columbia. Bella snapped her seatbelt in place and stared out her window, watching as the rain was forced from the glass in long streams. She sighed and sunk back into her seat, despite the gloomy weather she was happy to almost be home.

The plane landed without a hitch and Bella walked off the terminal and into the open and waiting arms of her dad, Charlie who instantly pulled her into a hug so tight she was picked up off the ground. Still groggy and jet lagged she didn't put up a fight and waited for her release.

"Good to see you, Bells," he started, using a nickname that only he could use as he set her back on her feet, "How was the flight?"

She glanced over her father, who was getting older now, some grey hairs peaking out through his mop of chestnut colored hair. He had been sheriff in Forks for as long as Bella could remember, and even now he still looked like a cop to her while in his jeans, T-shirt and brown leather jacket. Charlie was much taller than her, about 6 feet and built athletically (excluding the bit of weight he had put on since she last saw him), whereas in contrast, she stood a short 5'5" with the physique of a malnourished ballerina.

She ran a hand through her tangled mess of brown hair, and groaned, "Long. But I'm happy to be here finally." Her and her father exchanged smiles and headed towards baggage claim, making small talk along the way. After leaving the airport they eventually, made their way over to the ferry that would take them over to Port Angeles and then there'd be a long drive home to Forks. Unfortunately, Forks was just so tiny that the closest commercial airport was really that far away.

Bella and her father spent most of the trip home in silence, Bella relaxing in the reclined passenger seat as she stared upwards at the canopy of green reaching out over her. She liked that about the roads here. She recalled as a little girl, sleeping in the back seat and just staring up at the trees through the windows of their small station wagon as her parents talked in the front seats, listening to bands like Queen or The Beatles. It was comforting to her, that feeling of a family. She didn't get that much anymore.

After a bit of a drive, Bella felt the familiar turn into the driveway, the sound of tires crunching under the wet gravel. Charlie turned to her grinning, "Well, I know it's not much, Bells, but I did my best. Figured this might make the move a little easier."

Bella sat up in her seat, the old worn leather crunching as she did so. She peered through the fog to the dilapidated, red truck currently residing at the very end of their driveway. It was beat up for sure, with rust flaking around the body, the red paint worn down to a dull shade and missing in spots but Bella found it utterly perfect. She had never been the sort of girl who needed fancy things or the newest technology, and so she found this rickety, old truck in an odd way to be entirely and perfectly fit for her.

Charlie rolled the police cruiser he still drove off duty to a stop and turned to his daughter expectantly, "So what do you think?"

"Wow…it's…" Bella trailed off looking for words starring at the old truck through the dirt speckled wind shield, but quickly grinned and turned back to her father, "I love it, Dad." Charlie looked a bit taken aback at first, but supposed he should have known better and got up out of the car, slamming the door behind him. Bella followed suit, making her way over to her brand new—to her—car.

"You didn't have to do this…I was saving up for one," she explained, absentmindedly tracing patterns with her index finger in the dewy water on the car's hood, "I thought I'd told you."

"I know," he replied, "but I had a little extra money and really, it's the least I could do for you considering you're the one who packed up and moved all the way to the middle of nowhere to live with your old dad, here." He chuckled a little and gave the car a pat, like it was some sort of old pet.

"Thanks," she said, opening the car door with a screech and sitting down in the cab. It was old for sure, she thought her eyes falling on the old FM radio and tape deck. No AC, which was fine for Forks, it never got very warm here, even in the summer. She squirmed in the beige colored leather seats, resting her hands on the steering wheel and turned back to her dad, "Really, this thing is perfect for me."

"I'm sure Jacob will be glad to hear it," he replied, "He spent most of this summer fixing that old thing up for you. Billy had had it sitting around up at the reservation for years, and when I offered to buy it and fix it up Jacob said he'd do the repairs for free. Nice kid."

Bella made a mental note to call Jacob later; they had a lot of catching up to do. She swung her legs out of the car and hopped back down onto the driveway.

"How about I make us something to eat?" she suggested, "I've had your cooking before."

"You just got here. Why don't we take your bags up and grab something at the diner. You probably need the rest." Bella sighed inwardly at the thought. She wasn't much for being a public spectacle and unfortunately, with her father being well-known and the recent move, the trip to the diner would be more like parading her arrival about to the entire town. Knowing she would ultimately wind up defeated, she shrugged and answered, "Sounds fine, Dad."

Bella followed her father into the house, the old wooden porch steps creaking under her weight as she dragged one of her heavy black suitcases up after her. Her father had taken the other, even heavier suitcase ahead of her. It was kind of numbing, realizing she had shoved what was left of her life in Phoenix into two suitcases which had been thrown around haphazardly since they walked out of the condo she shared with her mother in Phoenix.

'I suppose that's what I've been reduced to,' she thought glumly, heaving the suitcase off the last step, sending the chipped paint flying off the wooden porch floor it had landed on, 'two suitcases.' Up until this moment, she hadn't really felt badly about leaving Phoenix. It had just seemed like the logical option. Not wanting to spend her evenings awkwardly shoved to the edge of the couch while her mom and Phil cuddled, or making her way through the next school year while coming home to an empty home week after week. Or worse yet, her mom staying in Phoenix while Phil travelled just to appease her. She didn't want to become the excuse or the third wheel, and so she concluded that Forks wouldn't be too tough in comparison.

Of course, she had failed to remember the group of friends she'd be giving up. The easy senior year of parties, school functions, and in hindsight, she realized she should have spent more time with them before moving. For the past week, she had been outright ignoring them altogether, too afraid to say goodbye, assuming that perhaps by some miracle her ignorance would make the goodbyes all the more useless in the long run. She'd have to try to fix things somehow, she decided.

She stopped once inside the doorway, breathing heavily as she set the suitcase down next to her. She kicked one shoe off and used her free foot to remove the other, kicking them to the side as her dad came down the stairs. He grabbed the other suitcase for her, and she followed up the stairs, the walls littered with old family photos. She wondered why he had kept the wedding photo up, considering her mom and him had been divorced for at least 10 years now. She did however notice how amazing happy they both looked in that moment. Her mother was smiling brilliantly in her white gown, while her father pulled her into a hug, their cheeks pressed together. Both of them were clearly in love then. She supposed it was just another of those 'meant to be's' that weren't quite meant to be. She had decided long ago, after watching each of her mother's failing relationships that love was a dying art. And one she planned on avoiding most diligently.

She continued her ascent up the creaking stairway, and turned right into her room only to be shocked by what it had become. Sometime between her visit last winter and the start of this summer, her father had transformed her old room into a new one altogether. The old baby pink walls, were replaced by a deep sky blue color, the once yellowed-with-age lacey curtains now a simple cream. The furniture was all new as well, all a light pine color and everything still smelling faintly of wet paint.

"Dad, you totally didn't have to bother with all this," she remarked, still taking in her new room. She walked over to the newly decorated four-poster bed, a simple blue and cream sheet set had replaced her old pink bed spread she'd had forever.

"It was all really Jacob's idea," her father admitted, "I mentioned your moving here and he wanted to surprise you."

Bella suppressed the rising color she felt rushing to her face and smiled, "Well he didn't have to do this either. You know I don't need all this. But thank you." She had wanted to add that the color was perfect, and perhaps should have surmised that Jacob would have been the only one able to pull off such a feat. He really did know her pretty well after all these years. Even the furniture was all up to her standards. Nothing too fancy, but all still nice looking. It all reminded her of a nice sea-side bed and breakfast. Fresh, breezy and clean.

"It's nothing. Anything to make this easier on you," Charlie stated, "All your old stuff is still around, so don't worry about it missing. I'll let you get settled in. Plus I'm sure your mother wants to talk to you. Let me know when you're set to get something to eat." Charlie turned to leave and shut the wooden door quietly behind him, leaving Bella amidst her room.

She dropped the backpack she'd be carrying on the ground with a thud, and flopped back onto the new bed, relishing in the fact that the comforter was more than likely down and starring up at her white ceiling with sigh. It was then she realized just how tired she was, it'd been an excruciatingly long day. She rolled over and dug her cell phone out of her bag, quickly dialing her mother's number. She explained she had made it to her dad's safely and was exhausted before hanging up, glad it was out of the way now. She still had some patching up to do with her friends in Phoenix, but decided she'd rather talk to Jacob about how to best handle that. He was always better at figuring out the problems she was causing herself than she was.

She caught herself dozing off while lying on the bed, and flew to her feet, grabbing her old laptop from her bag and setting it up on her new desk. Quite the contrast she thought. She plugged it in to let it charge and ran down the stairs to get this awkward dinner out over with.


	2. Chapter 2

So, I want to thank all the suggestions people gave me over at twilight_sucks. Especially the weather thing. I'm on a quest to make this at least marginally better than the SMeyer version and I think having accurate weather might help a bit. So, I'm keeping a watch on .

Trying to do my research too, but apparently, outside of Twilight there's not much online about the Quileute Indian tribe. I have no intention of creating werewolves, but there are a couple myths I think I could work with and make into something slightly more original.

Also, we're gonna go old school with vampires here. I more or less did some VERY minimal research on vampires and figured even the lamer vampires were still cooler than the sparklepyres.

AND! A very special thanks to Jen for letting me bounce ideas off of you. I couldn't put this together without my fellow hater! Haha.

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The weather was starting to clear up, sun peaking through the breaks in the grey clouds overhead. The teen-aged boy dug his hands further into his pockets and sunk deeper into his charcoal grey hoodie, all the while cursing his luck. He maneuvered around several pot holes and remnants of puddles as he made a beeline for the closest indoor space, a small diner across the street. The sun set in about half an hour, he could bear the company of townsfolk until then.

He opened the glass door, scoffing at the smudged fingerprints on its surface, while a small golden bell jingled to announce his arrival. Clearly, a high class establishment he thought as he made his way inside, removing his hood to reveal a gaunt, pale face with high cheek bones. His oddly colored eyes were sunken in, with deep circles under them making it appear as those he hadn't slept in days and his dirty blonde hair was tousled and unkempt. The old stocky woman at the bar looked towards him, her grin falling slightly, but she recovered with the ease of a well-practiced waitress and plastered that smile back on flawlessly.

"How are you Edward? A seat in the corner okay, dear?" she asked, the term of endearment lost on him when the kindness was so obviously forced. He grunted in response, and headed for a secluded table near the back of the diner. The woman at the counter had rolled her eyes, whispering to a regular about how rude young people were these days. Edward bit back the urge to reply, he often forgot that he shouldn't be able to hear people whispering across the room.

The bell jingled again and again, announcing the entrance of the next customers, each seemingly getting more and more annoying as they smiled happily and made small talk with friends. He found it disgusting, how easily people faked their way through life, exchanging trivial words with each other just so they can hear themselves talk more. He dug his nails into the pleather seat cover, fidgeting as his eyes kept darting anxiously towards the sun in the horizon.

"What would like?" the woman asked cheerily, waiting at the other end of his table expectantly with a notepad and pencil in hand. He looked down at the untouched menu in front of him. There wasn't much point to it. He flipped the laminated pages over in his hands and slammed them down on the table with a snap.

"The whole damn thing," he stated, smirking a bit.

"Pardon me?" the waitress gawked, raising a brow in question.

"The whole…damn…menu," he repeated, his gaze falling upon the old woman; a look flowing with arrogance. He stressed each word for emphasis.

"The whole menu?"

"Right."

He continued to glare at the waitress with a look that clearly read, 'Well, what are you waiting for?' until she turned and walked away, muttering under her breath in irritated gibberish. He was quite pleased with his response, figuring she'd have to spend at least some time debating about whether or not he was entirely serious. He didn't care really, doing things like this weren't even remotely entertaining anymore, and yet he couldn't help himself.

The bell jingled once more, as two more people came in the door and his darted to them. He instantly recognized one as the sheriff and his stomach churned as the petite chocolate haired girl following him entered Edward's line of site. She looked so much like _her_. The same wide forehead, ending on a gently sloped brow line. Brown eyes, set almost too far apart, but balanced by the long nose and full lips. Her chin ended in a point, finishing her heart shaped face. He realized he had been starring at her far too long then, his amber eyes probably boring holes through her with his intensity. He needed to leave. He couldn't.

He glanced back to the window, noting the sun lingering pitifully near the mountains in the distance, and dug his nails harder into the seat cover as his discomfort grew. He knew it was impossible; _she _had died years ago. Grown up, gotten married, had some kids and died. A long, long time ago. And yet, here she was, 10 feet away and talking animatedly to some middle-aged man like she hadn't aged a day at all. His hands flew to his head then, running his pale fingers through his messy wheat colored hair as he counted the speckles of pigment in linoleum coated tabletop to keep his mind preoccupied on anything but _her_.

He knew she had to be able to tell he was starring by now. He was doing it so carelessly and incessantly that it was impossible she hadn't noticed yet. At this very moment, the thought of wandering outside and into the waiting rays of the sun seemed leaps and bounds more pleasant than his current situation. He couldn't take it. It'd been decades upon decades since they had been anything more than people who once knew each other and suddenly this girl traipses into a diner he just so happens to be in and it's like the world is falling down upon him with the ferocity of a hurricane.

His eyes switched back towards the window, and he breathed out fiercely with relief when he saw the sun tucked safely behind the landscape. Removing himself from his chair with such upheaval that half the restaurant turned to stare at the now frantic boy, he didn't see the object of his vexation standing up to use the restroom.

Truthfully, he had seen her, had ample time to move and yet didn't bother. Their bodies collided in an instant, sending her sprawling onto the scrapped up wooden floor, and him standing there wide-eyed and terrified while looking down upon her stupidly. He looked away, and then back again, more times than he cared to count before finally just walking away quickly, throwing his hood back up as he departed and not saying a word.

The lone waitress had scrambled over during the commotion and was already helping the poor girl off the floor by the time her father had stopped glaring at the shrinking boy in the distance.

"Oh my…that Cullen boy is always such a problem," the waitress complained as she helped the girl up by one arm, "Don't know what got into him there. Whatever did you do to him?"

"I don't know," she responded, looking dumbfounded and steadying herself back on her feet, "I've never met him before in my life."

Charlie rushed over to help his daughter stand, looking back over towards the window once more and muttering, "I swear, that kid…he didn't hurt you did he?"

Bella smoothed her shirt and sat back down in their booth, "No, no, I'm fine. I might have a bruise or two but other than that I think I'll recover."

She laughed off the embarrassment and idly stirred the ice cubes in her cup of lemon-lime soda as recalled said boy starring at her over her father's shoulder for the past 20 minutes. At first, she thought that maybe he was just taking in the new girl in town, seeming as everyone knew everyone here but then the starring continued. And continued. And continued. She had tried to ignore his pressing glances at first, but found her eyes wandering up towards him at every second moment. He looked shocked at first and then he looked like he was ready to kill himself—or someone else—then suddenly he was on feet in an instant and shoving her to the ground for no good reason before running away.

Their eyes had clashed for a second back then, his looking horrified, disturbed and hurt. Which she found an odd mix to drill into someone you'd never met before whereas hers just looked perturbed. Regardless, she found herself curious as to what the hell she did to deserve such treatment from a stranger. And such looks. She'd only been in town for a few hours and already her peers were running her down at family diners.

"So, I don't remember him from visiting before," she started, her face rising up to meet her dad's, "Is his family new here?"

"Yeah, the Cullen's moved in about a year ago. Renovated the old house down by the river and mostly keep to themselves. The father is a doctor I suppose, but he doesn't work at the hospital or run his own practice. From what I remember being told he's a coroner down in Seattle. Not a clue why you'd want to live all the way out here but whatever floats your boat," Charlie explained, took a bite of his food ad looked towards his daughter.

"He's their son then?" Bella questioned, totally uninterested in the plate before her now. She could eat later.

"I really don't know much about the rest of 'em, a couple kids your age and his wife. Although, I suppose they're adopted considering none of them look a thing alike and the majority of them are attending your high school. The two oldest live by themselves elsewhere, but I've seen them in town a couple times. I've had a couple complaints from the school about those kids being truant, but that one you just met seems to be the worst. Constantly rude, always acting up—parents don't seem to care. Weird people mostly."

Bella nodded, "I see, so no one really talks to them much?"

"We tried, when they first moved in but they don't seem to like visitors too much. In fact, they almost never coming into town and since they live so far out of the way, no one seems to pay them much notice anymore."

Bella smirked, and replied, "Well are they all so ungodly pale?"

"Every last one of them."

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The Swann's made it home safely, Charlie settling into the old Lazy Boy in the living room to watch the news, while Bella began her unpacking in her bedroom. She had sorted through the entirety of her clothes, and was now in the process of finding places for them. It dawned on her, during this tedious work that she had yet to inform Jacob she was here.

She grabbed her phone and pulled up his number in her contacts, typing a quick text message:

"Jacob, just wanted to let you know I'm back :D For good, haha. We need to hang. Let me know."

She tossed the phone on her bed and continued her work until a noise from outside her open window interrupted her. She stood frozen, clothes still in hand, and peered into the darkness, only seeing the faded out shapes of tree branches swaying in the light breeze. Her eyes locked on a sudden burst of movement, a thick black outline being obscured through branches.

"Hello?" she called out to the nothingness, "Jacob, is that you?" She assumed if anyone was out there it had to be him. Only he would try to pull something quite so juvenile. She damned the lack of proper lighting in Forks, which was making it impossible to make out anything past a foot or so with the lack of moonlight that evening.

When no one replied she moved slowly closer to the open window, inching her way forward precariously. She felt the heaving of her chest as she tried to slow her anxious breathing, her mind running over the possibilities of what could potentially be waiting out there. She continued searching in the blackness for the source of the noise she'd heard earlier, her eyes narrowing in an attempt to see better. Moving closer, she gripped the wooden window sill for support, afraid of what she may potentially see. She sighed, seeing nothing upon closer inspection, then turned around and scolded herself for being so paranoid.

The moment she did so, a sudden crunching in the tree outside her window jolted her from her relief and she jumped around only to catch a glimpse of something large and black before her. It hovered before her window like some sort of churning mist, swirling in strange serpentine patterns before her. Her eyes widened, watching it curve ever closer towards her frozen body. She wanted to scream, or run; she didn't know which to do first. She was fixated on the mass before her, her eyes wanting to keep tabs on every bit of it. It slowed there for what seemed like ages, her body trembling and her breathing growing heavier as she grew more and more terrified.

It moved closer, tracing the contours of her shoulders, running its amorphous shape down the side of torso. It lingered there, while she quivered fearfully before it finally darted upwards, coming to a halt only mere inches from her fear-stricken face.

As suddenly as it had appeared, it glissaded out her window in one long, graceful movement. It was then that the shock wore off, the overwhelming sense of dread left her and she raced out of her room, screaming for her father the entire way down the stairs.

Charlie turned to her from his seat in the living room, watching her through the open archway with a raised eyebrow, "What in the world is it?"

"Dad," she panted her eyes still frantic, "Something …" she trailed off, trying to regain her composure. She wasn't even sure how to come out and say that she saw a black mist swirling about in her bedroom. That was insanity.

"Something what?" Charlie asked, clearly confused by his daughter's frightened demeanor.

"Just…something…" she blurted, her hands twisting themselves through her hair, "…I don't know what. It was upstairs in my room."

"Like an animal? Just close the thing and it'll go away."

"No…not like an animal. Like a thing. I'm not sure. I just…I know, this sounds absolutely ridiculous Dad, but I swear to you. " She stood there in the front hallway, her pulse still racing.

Charlie sighed exasperatedly and stood up, walking up the stairs, "You're too old for me to have to be doing this." She followed him up the stairs to her bedroom, standing in the open doorway and watching as her father pretended to scout out the room for monsters.

"Dad, I was being serious," she remarked, her eyes falling on the open window, "It was right out there." She gestured towards the window and waited by the doorway with crossed arms.

Charlie shrugged, walked over to the window and took a look around. Seeing nothing, he turned back to his daughter and replied, "I hate to break it to you, but I don't see a thing out there." He turned back to the window, sealing it shut when he caught glimpse of someone standing out on the field past their house. He couldn't make out a face at this distance in the dark but the shape was undoubtedly human.

Charlie darted down the stairs—Bella at his heels—grabbed his gun belt and out the door, running at full speed towards the figure. Bella fell back, not really wanting to get much closer to whatever it was her father was chasing after what had happened only minutes ago.

She watched from the safety of her driveway as her father ran out into the empty field, nothing in sight. Charlie called out several times, surveying the area but was met with the empty wind as a response. He spent several minutes scouting the area around his home before walking back towards his daughter, he began, "Must have been some kid playing a prank. Sherriff's daughter coming to town is big news."

"I guess…" she replied. She noted her father's apparent anger and feigned relief. Charlie was outwardly annoyed, but outside of spending hours looking for whomever had been on their property this late in the evening there wasn't much he could do. He chalked it up to teenage pranks and headed inside, taking once last survey of the area.

Bella wasn't so sure, given what she'd seen in her room but considering Charlie appeared to be as tired and irritated as she was, she decided to drop it against her better judgment. After all, it was the end of a long day and she'd spent the majority of it flying across the country. She came to the conclusion she was probably just over-tired and had been seeing things. Maybe it was some sort of bug swarm, or dust being picked up by a strange gust of wind. She trudged into the house after her dad, who quickly swept the house for any signs of intrusion and then took his spot back on the old chair while she retreated to her room.

She did a quick of check of the bedroom, still uneasy and shaken up about things and decided once and for all she needed to stop it with the paranoia and amount the experience to hallucinations brought on by cross country travel. She picked up her phone, seeing no response from Jacob and tossed it back on her bed before throwing the rest of her clothes in an empty dresser drawer. She really wasn't in the mood for it anymore.

She tossed on her pajamas, which consisted of a T-shirt and old gym shorts and then quickly checked her e-mail. There was one from her mother, which she decided to leave until morning and a slew of messages from her friends in Phoenix. Again, she'd leave that mess for morning. She breathed out deeply, and closed her eyes, the soft breeze coming in through the open window a slight comfort. Only, the window had been closed.

It snapped her out of her reverie. She walked over to the window, a bit worked up at this point and slammed the window shut, locking it for good measure. She turned away and her barefoot fell on something cold and smooth below her. Looking down to the hardwood floor, she moved her foot away to see a small metallic object lying under it. She knelt down slowly, reaching out her long-fingered hand cautiously to pick it up and flipped the item over. She investigated the object—a tiny, silver locket—noticing the small ornate chain of flowers melded onto its aged surface. It was more than a bit tarnished, speckled dull in many areas. She tried to open it, only to find she couldn't.

"Most have been something of mom's," she spoke to herself, as she placed the locket on her desk. She decided she'd ask her about it in the morning and mail it back. Bella flicked off the light and snuggled into the bed that still smelled all too new to her. None of the comfort of her bed back in Phoenix, but she'd make it through this. This was still another week and a half until she had to start school, so it was plenty of time to make friends. Mulling over these things, she drifted to sleep.

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Yes, I made Edward blonde. He always seemed blonde in my head. Even though he's clearly described with brown hair.


	3. Chapter 3

Wow, I haven't really worked on this much have I? Oops haha. I suppose some real life things are a bit more important than re-writing Twilight lol.

This chapter is pretty rough. I wrote it really quickly cause I finally figured out where I was going with it. Sooo sorry for any terrible phrasing. I read it over once, but I never catch everything.

Anyways, Chapter 3

* * *

Edward Cullen stormed through the dimly lit upper hallway, past several closed doors and into his room, slamming the door behind himself. His mind was frantically churning through the day's events as he paced the hardwood floor several times in succession. The chaos was written clear on his sallow face as he threw himself backwards onto the burgundy, plush futon near the open window, a small sliver of light from the moon cascading across the center of the dark room. His head rolled back to the face the ceiling, his eyes searching the matte enamel paint for something, he wasn't sure anymore. He was a mess. His wheat colored hair more disheveled than usual and his shoes and clothing covered in leaves and flecks of dried mud.

The door opened slowly, yellow light from the hallway pouring through the threshold. Edward's perplexed countenance turned towards the new figure in the doorway. He sighed heavily and slunk back into the futon, his eyes returning to drilling holes through his ceiling.

"What do you want?" Edward stated flatly, not bothering to look at his uninvited visitor, "I'm not in the mood."

An older male almost glided towards Edward with inhuman grace, well-dressed with curly, pale blond locks framing his thin face. He stopped as he reached the futon and while still standing responded, "I was just entirely concerned about what our dear Edward was doing home at such an early hour tonight. And looking like he'd been on quite the adventurous romp. Were those nasty school boys giving you trouble again?" The older male grinned slyly, as Edward groaned, removing himself from the futon to put space between himself and his guest.

"Not tonight, Jasper," he responded, shortness clear in his tone. Jasper smirked then, his ice blue eyes narrowing mischievously.

"I'm not sure what it is you're getting at, Edward," he replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm, "I'm honestly, terribly concerned. My poor, troubled younger brother comes flying through the house looking like he's seen a ghost and you expect me to just sit by idly. Now, what kind of sibling would I be if I didn't at once come to see what the matter was about?"

Edward sighed, he wasn't in the mood for one of Jasper's games tonight but there was no winning in this situation. Jasper was relentless when he was like this; never letting up until he heard what he already knew was true. The admittance was his goal.

"It's nothing, why don't you leave, "Edward began, as he strode back towards the futon and the open window, "Or I'll leave you here to mull that over." His eyes darted quickly to the seemingly endless woods in view and then back to his brother. He knew he'd seen the gesture, however small it was.

Jasper mocked sadness, "Oh, I just don't understand why you can't open up to me," he continued, hurling himself dramatically onto the futon, "I try and try to reach you but you just…you've built these walls Edward…and I….I don't know how to break through them." He stumbled over to Edward on his knees, clutching the younger male's grey shirt with his hands as he cried, "You need to let me iiiiiiin."

Edward shoved him away with a look of utter disgust, the older boy recoiling in feigned fear before he broke out into fits of laughter. It was then that Edward decided he needed to leave—rather, _needed_ to be left alone and he wasn't going to find any peace in this house. His home of sorts, if you could call it that. It was just something he'd grown accustomed to at this point, this group of acquaintances pretending they were normal. That they were just like everyone else. A happy family. It was the biggest load of crap Edward believed he had beheld in his entire life.

Without looking back at his still snickering 'sibling' Edward placed one dirt-covered shoe upon the stark white window sill and launched himself into the night. He landed cat-like on the damp grass below him, using one pale head to steady himself and then set off into the woods, running at speeds so fast it seemed impossible. He darted past trees, branches and other obstacles with practiced precision once into the woods, his green eyes peering into what seemed like nothing.

He stopped suddenly, hearing soft rustling and murmured talking far to his left. He could feel the heat radiating from them, hear the blood rushing through their veins as he drew himself closer to the source. He wasn't thinking clearly right now, he knew he should keep moving, and yet he didn't stop himself. His hold over _it _wasn't strong after today; after all the will he'd exerted just trying to keep himself away from her alone had been almost too much to bear. And this, he couldn't stop himself now that he was so close.

His legs moved forward soundlessly, with a mind of their own, only stopping when he approached the edge of clearing, where the last bits of light being shed from the dying embers of the campfire at the clearing's center ended. He stayed there in dark, listening intently. He knew they couldn't have heard him approach, he was built for this and this alone, but he was cautious anyways. If time had taught him anything, it was caution—earlier he'd forgotten that, but he wouldn't now. He crept closer to the dark blue camping tent, the silhouettes of three adults clear through the nylon fabric. All voices male, all voices young—in their twenties he presumed. He didn't want to dwell on that, it made no difference. He let go of the final shred of himself and it went dark in the clearing.

* * *

Bella found herself running aimlessly through a forest filled with mist. Branches clawed at her bare legs as she stumbled over a moss covered log, ending with her being sprawled out on the muddy ground with a heavy thud. A mess of dead leaves and dirt covered her as she fell, clinging to her hair and clothes, sliding into her mouth and obscuring her vision. She spat the dirt from her mouth and clawed desperately at the ground with grimy hands, groping for something in the dark to get her back on her feet. This terrible sense of urgency and dread consumed her as she tried to scramble to her feet, only slipping in as her bare feet sunk further into the mud around her.

Something cold wrapped itself around her wrist then, a smooth male voice calling out of the darkness, "Need help?"

She wanted to scream, but found she couldn't; her voice was caught in her throat.

"Let's not make a scene, Bella," the smooth voice added, and with a single, swift motion it ripped Bella off the ground, sending her stumbling on her feet past him. She steadied herself and turned to face him, but found his face obscured and blurry. Squinting at the tall, lean figure before her, she tried to bring his face into focus, but found she couldn't.

The man laughed. It was the sort of laugh where Bella could tell he must be smirking devilishly at her. She was frightened then, his maniacal laughter making the hair on the back of her neck and a frisson of terror down her spine. It was raining, she noticed, the droplets of water that had made it through the thick canopy of evergreens stretching up above her carving strange patterns down her mud covered skin. She was suddenly aware of the thin, white night gown she was wearing, soaked through with rain and mud and clinging to her body uncomfortably. She didn't own this night gown she realized.

She quickly tried to run opposite the man, but found herself ramming into his hard chest when she did. The shock sent her flying backwards, her head knocking against something hard as she hit the ground. She felt a searing rush of pain and ran her fingers through the matted, wet hair on the back of her head only to find something warm and sticky there. She didn't need to look to tell it was blood.

At the same time, she couldn't understand how he had run so quickly, there was no way she could have been intercepted so easily. She was shaking now, terrified by this strange man with her. He was approaching her slowly and surely, with something that resembled the walk of a most practiced dancer and it was almost too poised for that. She clumsily tried to right herself only to be overcome by a sudden wave of dizziness. 'My head…' she thought, as another wave of terror crashed over her, 'I've hit it too hard…I can't…'

"H-how did you…" she stammered, trying to keep her voice from cracking in fear. She was crawling backwards away from him, her hands sliding into the mud underneath her, trying with the last of her consciousness and strength to get away. She knew it was hopeless. He was too strong, too insanely fast and she couldn't understand why.

The man stopped in front of her, his unclear face meeting hers as lightening lit up the forest around them as the rain slammed down upon them even harder. Suddenly, he grabbed her chin in his hand, almost lifting her from the ground and knelt to her level. She couldn't see his face, but she was glad then, she didn't want to see it. She knew this man had every intention of killing her. And he was going to. She fought back a sob as he gripped her chin harder, painfully and pressed his face close to hers. She could feel his breath on her face, only it wasn't warm like it should have been, it was cold and icy. She squirmed in his grip, unable to get away and attempted to turn her head away from the man. Just anything to get herself away from him.

"Oh Bella, Bella, Bella," the man repeated, in a tone full of fake comfort, "Come now, you're stronger than this, right? No more sniveling out of you." And suddenly, she felt herself being launched through the air, only stopping when her back collided with something hard, knocking the wind out of her. She heard a crack. She landed in a heap on the ground under her, her battered body heaving under the tree she had hit as she tried to regain her breath. She went to stand, only realizing she couldn't. Her legs wouldn't move.

She clenched her teeth in frustration, realizing there was no hope. She groaned as she tried to pull herself from him, dragging her limp lower half behind her with the last of her strength. The trees were spinning around her, going in and out of focus. She was going to die like this. Alone and beaten in the woods with nothing to save her. She kept pulling and the man started walking again.

"I was going to wait for this part," he began, pulling her exhausted form off the forest ground and pressing her to him with one arm. She winced as his other hand found the back of her hand, grabbing her hair and pulling it harshly away from her neck. "I was going to wait until he was here. I wanted to watch him see you die, but I can't wait Bella. I can almost taste it already," he continued, running a finger over the blue vein twitching with pulse on her pale neck.

Bella stared at him, her eyes wide and horrified, "Pl-please…I…"

His face became clear to her for a second as lightening filled the woods once more. He was young, maybe in his late 20s, deep brown hair and chiseled features. And then his face changed in an instant. The handsome features contorted then, swirling in her mind and slowly she began to recognize them. Those high cheekbones, the lost eyes, the messy wheat colored hair. She knew this face. 'The boy from the diner' she thought, her breathing quickening.

The voice was different this time, "Bella, I'm sorry," and then his green eyes were changing, growing red and disturbed as she stared at him desperately, pleading with her own eyes to let her go. He looked upon her sadly, almost regretfully, as his face was becoming something almost animalistic. And then his lips were against her throat, almost kissing her, his cold breath on her neck causing her to shake against him. She felt him shudder, almost hesitate and then a sharp sting as something pierced the skin on her neck before it went black.

* * *

Bella awoke with a scream, sweating and shaking as she sat straight up in her bed. She threw the blankets from her body and scrambled to her feet, almost falling over as she did so.

'A nightmare,' she thought and sighed with relief. It was fine and only a dream she realized as she slowed her breathing and glanced around her room. Morning light poured in through the sheer curtains covering her windows, birds chirped lightly from outside, and she could hear the soft voices of the TV downstairs. All entirely normal. She stood there in her room, calming herself until she decided to stop overreacting and hop in the shower.

She closed her eyes as the hot water cascaded over her, something she usually found relaxing, still, she couldn't shake the dream. It had seemed so real to her. Everything had been so vivid. She did note that she was probably shaken from the previous night's events. And yet, something about that boy in the diner had stuck with her she supposed. There was something in those eyes she couldn't pin point and she found herself curious. She hadn't thought much of him yesterday to be honest, but with this dream she wasn't sure. Was her subconscious getting to her?

Turning off the water, she stepped out of the shower and onto the tile floor, water pooling at her feet. She wrapped herself in a towel and headed back down the hallway to her room. She opened the door and stopped in her tracks. Her eyes widened in shocked horror.

The tanned boy sitting on her unmade bed looked equally shocked, but in an entirely different sort of way. His deep brown eyes were eyeing the girl as if he'd never seen her before. Bella felt color rushing to her cheeks. She quickly looked at him, sudden realization hitting her. It was Jacob, but not the Jacob she remembered. He was tall and thin now, but still fit looking. His shoulders had broadened and she could swear she was seeing 5 o'clock shadow along his jaw line.

"Jacob…." Bella greeted, her voice sounding an octave too high. She swallowed hard and she was all too aware she was almost entirely naked. He was too apparently.

The boy looked startled at her voice, snapping out of his trance and running a hand awkwardly through long, thick black hair as he quickly looked towards the ground.

"Uh…um…I'll…Charlie said you'd be in your room…" he stuttered, trying to explain himself. He suddenly got up and headed for the door, still averting his eyes from her, he almost tip toed around her standing in the doorway, "I'm gonna leave now."

"Yeah, you do that," she said, inhaling as he passed and noticing the strange way he always smelled something like sandalwood and amber. She felt color rush to her cheeks once more as he brushed past her, almost seeming to stop when they were forced too closely together in the doorway, "I'll be downstairs in a second."

She sighed, as she closed her door behind her. That probably couldn't have been any more awkward she decided as she strode over to her clothes and grabbed the first thing she saw. Throwing them on, and then brushing out her wet hair she caught a glimpse of the silver locket she'd found last night on her desk. She snatched it off the desk, turning it over in her hands and admiring it a couple times. It really was quite pretty with its ornate details. The chain was long enough to toss over her head without unclasping luckily, so she did just that and took a deep breath before heading downstairs. She was going to need it.


End file.
